West Hartford is known for its eventful center and wide variety of cultural food. In this variety is none other than Bartaco, a nationwide chain of affordable and delicious Mexican cuisine.
Bartaco is a common place to go after school or practice. Located right on Farmington Avenue, Bartaco is easy to access with parking behind and across the street.
It is a white brick building that offers seasonal outdoor seating, set to a blue and white theme and an aesthetically pleasing interior with comfortable booths and tables. There are no reservations, but there is a call ahead list which tends to be helpful on popular nights in West Hartford such as Friday and Saturday.
We started our meal with a large order of chips and guacamole. Typically, if you are eating with more than two people, a large would be a more preferable size than a small. Baracto also provides three different types of salsa at the table as well as a pitcher of water.
At Bartaco, a common thing to order was the chicken; it used to be a popular dish at Bartaco. The chicken consisted of vegetables and a spicy chorizo sauce, and it was regularly ordered; however, they altered their recipe to be a achiote-marinated seared chicken with grilled pineapple and tajin. This is possibly one of the worst ideas Bartaco could’ve made, as they are probably losing so much money and customers, as food can either bring in customers or drive them away.
When we ordered, we ordered the baja fish tacos, roasted duck tacos, and a duck rice bowl. The tacos have a corn tortilla shell, but for those who do not eat gluten, you can substitute this shell with a lettuce shell.
The duck tacos were delicious and had the right amount of spice to them; the fish tacos weren’t very spicy and instead were very simple and basic. The bowl was very similar to the taco but had added vegetables and changed the carb portion from tortilla shells to rice.
We finished our meal with an order of churros and a key lime pie in a jar. The churros were much more pleasing to the palate than the ones from amusement parks. They are freshly made and fried and then coated in brown cinnamon sugar, served warm, with a side of chocolate sauce.
The key lime pie in a jar is cute, light and petite, the perfect dessert after eating a big meal.
Bartaco also offers a spiced chocolate pudding and gelato for dessert. Bartaco is located at 971 Farmington Avenue West Hartford, CT, 06107 and can be reached at (860) 586-8226.
